Aphra Behn, "To Mr. Creech"

1. Behn's poem is written to praise a translation written by her friend, Mr. Creech. How is her praise connected with her ideas about education?
2. Do you notice anything about how the poetic form and meter contribute to the speaker's point?

1. This poem served as an introduction to a volume of Finch's poetry. What does it suggest about the ways women felt about their writing and the way it was perceived by others in the 18th century? What are the reasons for these perceptions?
2. Lines 25-50 of the poem contain allusions to three passages from the Bible: I Chronicles 15, I Samuel 18, and Judges 4 & 5. If you can, read these passages in the Bible current when Finch was writing, the King James Version. (If you don't own one, you can locate the passages at http://bible.gospelcom.net/, where you can read the passages in a number of different translations. What do the references to women in these passages contribute to your understanding of the poem? Why function do they serve in the poem?
3. Throughout the reign of Charles II, he was compared repeatedly to the biblical King David in political propaganda, much of it written in verse. His entire triumphal entry into London to return to the throne was staged to capitalize on this comparison, and the later rebellion of his illegitimate son, the Duke of Monmouth, was compared to the rebellion of David's son Absalom against David. What might this add to gaining an understanding of the poem?

1. For what does the speaker apologize?
2. In what ways to other women express themselves? The speaker?
3. What is a bumper? (Look it up in the OED if you have time.)
4. To what biblical event does Finch allude to even even up the comparison between poetry written by men and women?

1. How does the poet describe her manuscript?
2. What has happened to it? How does the speaker seem to feel about it?

1. Notes on allusions: Guarini, Dante, Petrarch, Ariosto, and Tasso were all Italian Poets; Sappho was a classical Greek poet, virtually the only female poet whose work survives from classical times. 18th century poets of both sexes thought highly of Sappho's poetry. Women poets were often called "Sappho" in the work of other poets; here, Moody refers to herself as Sappho. "Pope" is Alexander Pope, who wrote a poem called "Eloisa to Abelard," about the historical Heloise. Achilles is the hero of Homer's The Iliad.
2. Why does "Sappho" plan to burn her books? What do you make of the connection between food and poetry in the 2nd stanza?
3. What does the speaker say, in the last stanza, that she expects to happen?

1. What are a parents responsibilities in raising a child, according to More?
2. What is sensibility, as described by More?
3. What is a properly directed sensibility like? How does she describe an improperly directed sensibility?